Period films are no longer as popular as they used to be and as a result, plenty of good films under this umbrella might go unnoticed. Should we blame Marvel, like Scorsese? Oh, wait. Isn’t Captain America: The First Avenger a period film? Anyway, we are more than glad to give ourselves the task of making you notice period films that have been flying under the radar.
Over the last five years, there have been plenty of period movies with great reviews. You can now stop searching and asking for recommendations. The following films are guaranteed to entertain you and show just how fun or brutal life was back in the day. Here are the best period movies from the last five years.
The King (2019)
The film stars Interstellar’s Timothée Chalamet as Hal, a stubborn prince who is meant to inherit the English throne, but is reluctant for the title. He doesn’t fancy the royal life at all, so he decides to live with the ordinary citizens. However, his father dies and he is forcefully crowned king.
Hal becomes King Henry V of England and he is left with no choice but to embrace the royal life. With no idea how to rule, he must quickly learn how to deal with the annoying politics of the palace as well as end the war that his father left unresolved. The King stands out as a period film keen on revealing the difficulties of leadership rather than the luxuries of it.
Testament Of Youth (2015)
Kit Harington, best known for his role as Jon Snow in Game Of Thrones, portrays Roland Leighton, a British poet and soldier who falls in love with English nurse and aid worker Vera Brittain (Alicia Vikander). Set during World War I, Testament of Youth does a great job of portraying a woman’s tough experiences during a time of war.
Based on a true story, the movie draws its content from Vera’s memoir of the same name. In it, Vera reminisces about her days as a young nurse and her love with Roland. It’s an emotional and romantic film that didn’t get talked about a lot but provides solid entertainment.
Anthropoid (2016)
This phenomenal film is based on the extraordinary tale of “Operation Anthropoid” during World War II. It was a top-secret mission by Czechoslovakia to kill Reinhard Heydrich. Commander Heydrich was the Reich’s third most powerful officer. Only Hitler and Himmler ranked higher than him.
Heydrich also served as the commander of Nazi troops in Czechoslovakia. Anthropoid follows Jozef Gabčík (Cillian Murphy) and Jan Kubiš (Jamie Dornan), two soldiers who are sent to take out Heydrich (Detlef Bothe) with very limited intelligence and resources. It’s a brilliant film that shows just how high the stakes were in this war.
The Young Karl Max (2017)
It’s the mid-1800s and the Industrial Revolution has caused an economic boom. But it has also created new problems for workers. A young writer by the name Karl Marx (played by August Diehl from Inglorious Basterds) goes to Paris together with his wife Jenny (Vicky Krieps). There, he meets and befriends Friedrich Engels (Stefan Konarske), the son of a factory owner.
Both Marx and Engels don’t like the way that workers are treated so they do plenty of research and eventually form labor unions. They don’t know it at the time, but the organizations they create go on to change the world forever. The Young Karl Max emphasizes the importance of ambition, dedication, and compassion. With a caring heart, one person can change so many lives.
The Great Battle (2018)
Outside Asia, South Korean films don’t normally get the appreciation they deserve. The Great Battle is another example of the astonishing advances in filmmaking from the country. Everything from the action sequences to the costumes is done with perfection.
While watching this film, you can’t help but do a quick Google search just to make sure a major Hollywood studio wasn’t behind it. With a Rotten Tomatoes score of 86%, The Great Battle tells the story of the siege of the Ansi Fortress, which saw dedicated Goguryeo forces defending themselves against a 500,000-strong Tang army in an epic battle that lasted 88 days.
The Eternal Road (2017)
A film that shows just how difficult life was in the Soviet Union during the reign of Stalin. Set in 1930, The Eternal Road sees trade union activist Jussi Ketola (Tommi Korpela) going back home to Finland from America. He then moves to the Soviet Union and gets a new life as well as a new identity.
The future looks promising for him but soon, the political climate shifts. Stalin’s government becomes brutal to foreigners and people begin to get killed. Emotions run high in this film, so make sure to keep your handkerchief close by.
Victoria And Abdul (2017)
Judi Dench has had plenty of noteworthy roles ever since her character M was killed off in the James Bond films. However, she might want to forget her latest role in Cats. The film has been a disaster both critically and at the box office.
However, in Victoria And Abdul, Dench put up a stellar performance. She plays England’s Queen Victoria, who develops a liking for Abdul Karim (Ali Fazal), a young clerk who has traveled all the way from India to take part in the Queen’s Golden Jubilee celebrations. Their bond becomes so strong that the people closest to Victoria scheme to destroy it, fearing it would lead to love.
Giant (2017)
Set during the First Carlist War, Giant follows the life of Miguel Joaquín Eleizegui Arteaga, a man who lived with a condition known as gigantism. Miguel was later nicknamed the “Giant from Altzo.” If only the late wrestler and actor Andre The Giant would have been alive to play this iconic role, it would have even been more spectacular.
In the film, Martín (Joseba Usabiaga) goes back home from war only to be met with the shocking sight of his younger brother Joaquín (Eneko Sagardoy) who has suddenly become a giant. Martín immediately sees the business side of it and convinces his brother to travel with him around the world. Martín markets Joaquin as the “tallest man on Earth” and they make plenty of money. However, the situation becomes a bit more complicated when Joaquin’s condition refuses to go away.
Colette (2018)
Pirates Of The Carribean star Keira Knightley portrays Colette, a budding writer who marries a successful Parisian writer known as Willy, played by The Affair’s Dominic West. It appears West is meant to play writer roles for the rest of his career.
In Colette, Willy takes Colette from rural France and brings her to enjoy the good life in Paris. He also convinces her to be his ghostwriter. She goes on to write a novel about an intelligent country girl which she bases on her own life. When the novel becomes a success, Colette is forced to fight for creative ownership from her husband.
The Death Of Louis XIV (2016)
The story of French King Louis the Great, aka Louis XIV’s demise is an emotional one, and this film tells it perfectly. Back in August 1715, the king began feeling a sharp pain in his leg after going for a walk. Little did he know that this was the beginning of the final chapter of his journey.
Over the next few days, he continued ruling but became unable to sleep. He also developed a serious fever that robbed him of his appetite. Slowly, the king began to weaken and would eventually pass away. The plot sounds basic, but the film’s strong emotional moments and depictions of a man succumbing to mortality are what make it stand out.
